


What Might Have Been

by PeriQuill



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-18 04:49:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29852814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PeriQuill/pseuds/PeriQuill
Summary: After the Battle of Haven, Blake decides to check in with everyone still around the academy... one of those people being Ruby Rose. Though intended as a small chat between friends, Blake may yet uncover a secret that Ruby's been holding for a long time.One-Shot, Post-Volume 5 Finale/Battle of Haven.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Ruby Rose
Comments: 5
Kudos: 38





	What Might Have Been

**Author's Note:**

> Wow! Even I'm surprised I'm publishing a story again.
> 
> I'd like to say I've been working on this since I uploaded the last one-shot 10 months ago, but that'd be a flat-out lie. I had the idea for this for months, but I never got around to finishing... and now it's finished. It took many different forms and approaches, but I'm honestly happy with how it turned out.
> 
> Hope ya'll enjoy!

"You can come in!" A high-pitched voice called through the door.

Although she felt the need to hesitate, Blake had gotten the permission she needed. She grasped the door's handle and swiveled it down to enter the room. Just inside was a quaint room, washed with comforting earthen tones. Inside sat a small bed and a desk, and just past all that was the entrance to a balcony, where stood the room's sole resident… Ruby Rose.

"Oh! Hi, Blake." The young girl pulled herself away from the balcony she had been leaning against, turning her attention to Blake.

"Hi." The faunus cupped her hands in front of her; she could sense an awkwardness in the room. Or maybe she was just making it awkward.

A few seconds passed before Ruby decided to speak up. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah." Blake quickly answered, attempting to reassure her leader. "I've just been stopping by people's rooms to check up on them. Seeing how they're doing."

"That's nice of you to do." The young girl smiled, soon waving her hand towards the balcony to invite Blake out with her. The faunus obliged with a sigh of relief; she had felt a huge weight cast upon her when entering every other room tonight, so this was a welcome change. She soon crossed through the balcony door and made her way out to join Ruby against its low walls.

"It's been a while since I've seen everyone, so…" she explained further, "I figured that this was the best way to catch up."

Ruby joined Blake in leaning against the low wall. "... Must be a lot to unpack." The young girl assumed.

The faunus simply nodded. "Yeah… it's a lot."

Another dead silence… though it wasn't completely unwelcome. Blake took the opportunity to take in the night ambience of Mistral. She could see the tranquil dark blue of the forestry mixing with the soft orange glow of small candles and lamp lights lining the city streets. With it being pretty late and her being high above most of Mistral at Haven Academy, it was nearly silent tonight. Blake hadn't had much time to rest since Beacon.

There was a time before all this where things felt calmer for Blake. Maybe not quite normal, but it felt controllable and comfortable. She yearned for something like that again, though it wouldn't likely happen soon. However, this night was beginning to feel the closest to that calm she sought after… maybe this was an invitation to try and give that calm to others. Maybe it wasn't such a crazy idea to check up on everybody… even if people's receptions had been a little rocky.

Blake peered over at Ruby, only to find the young girl had been looking back at her. Ruby quickly shook her head and peered out over the city as Blake was just doing; a slight blush crossed her cheeks. Blake took the moment to clear her throat.

"So…" she began, "... how have things been while I was away?"

The young girl was relieved at the invitation to talk. Anything to forget about what she had just been caught doing. "That's a great question. I'd say 'chaotic', but… we've managed somehow. So maybe not as bad as I think it was."

"I hope not." Blake replied. She continued to look at Ruby, even though the redhead kept denying a returning gaze.

"There's just been so much going on… it's hard to keep track." She admitted. "Things used to be so simple: we used to be kids at an academy. As crazy as learning to be a huntress was compared to other stuff, it felt easy to understand that I was doing that. Now it's all just… complicated."

A small pang of concern brushed across Blake's own face, though she tried to play it off. "I'll admit it's strange to think back on."

Ruby began slowly shaking her head, still looking out over Mistral. "I've been through enough in the past couple of months that I only remember pieces of what life was like back then. It all seems so small… it's all a blur in my head."

It alarmed Blake to see Ruby so dejected. The Ruby she knew was alway upbeat, or at least attempted to be that way for everyone's sake. Of course, to think Ruby would always be like that would be unreasonable… but since Blake had left, that was the last thing she remembered Ruby being, and now she seemed so defeated.

"I remember a few moments." She soon responded, finally earning her the girl's silver eyes. "Some good ones… some bad ones too. I'm trying to remember the good ones more."

The young girl seemed to perk up at the sound of memories. "What's one of your good ones?" she asked with a trimmed curiosity.

Blake took a moment to think. A small smile soon crept onto her face.

"The night of the dance."

Blake got to see more of the silver in Ruby's eyes in response. "Really?"

"Definitely." She began. "Easily one of the best nights I've ever had at Beacon… in my whole life, actually. I was surrounded by friends, did my best to have a good time and actually managed to do it. Didn't know I needed it until I was there."

The faunus could have sworn she heard a nearly silent chuckle from the redhead.

"It's kinda funny you mention that…" she managed to say, "... the dance was one of my good ones too."

Blake's smile grew a little wider. "What made it good for you?"

All of a sudden, Ruby swerved her eye contact again. Did she think she said something wrong?

"Uh… the dancing." She put forward as an answer. "It was nice to just kinda… get down to the music."

As her smile faded, Blake's eyes began to squint. "I don't remember you dancing."

"Oh, really?" Ruby asked in surprise, albeit nervously. "You must not have seen me when I was."

"Yang told me how much you didn't want to dance the morning after." Blake stated flat-out. The redhead deflated in response; whatever charade she was going for hadn't worked.

"Darn you, older sister." She gently pouted, her coiled fist shaking a bit towards the sky.

Some things never change, Blake thought to herself.

"Come on…" Blake pried for an answer. "What made it good?"

Ruby let out a long sigh before answering, her head now peering over the balcony towards the ground below.

"Seeing you be there."

All things considered, not the answer Blake was expecting.

"Me?" she emphatically repeated.

Ruby brought her head back up and began to explain. "I never told you this, but… the day before the dance, Weiss and Yang were setting up decorations… but I didn't really help out. I kept telling myself that, if you weren't going to be there… what would the point be?"

"You really thought that?" The shocked faunus asked, to which the redhead nodded, turning to meet Blake's amber eyes with her own.

"After you walked out of the room the day before… it was all I could think about. Even as I headed to the hall for the dance, I kept thinking I should have done something for you. I thought I had messed up… but then you came to the dance, and… gosh, this sounds ridiculous…" the young girl began to shake her head and turn away again.

Nope. Not letting her think that way. The faunus gently placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder, quickly gaining her attention again.

"I know it won't." Blake inquired hastily, trying to keep Ruby on track. "You can say whatever it is."

Another deep sigh from the young girl followed.

"When I saw you come in, I just felt… lighter." She finally admitted. "Maybe it was you showing up despite your word or… just the way you were dressed… but it felt so good to see you there. It sounds kind of childish now that I'm remembering it."

Blake slowly began to shake her head. "… I don't think it's childish at all."

For one small moment, Ruby seemed hopeful in the telling of this story. "If there's one thing I wish I had done back then…"

She shut her eyes away.

"No, I… I can't." She muttered.

Blake was stumped at the sudden stop. "Can't what?"

"I can't say it." Ruby stated outright.

It was then that Blake lifted her hand up towards Ruby's chin and propped it up with her thumb. She held it up, making sure Ruby had no choice but to look her in the eyes when she said this.

"Of course you can."

Blake took away her thumb, and Ruby's head thankfully stayed up. However, her gaze began to drift again.

"Come on… what did you wish you could have done?"

The redhead gulped before speaking. Blake simultaneously realized she had never seen anyone do that before.

"I wish… that I could have danced with you."

Okay… now the sudden stop made sense.

"Oh…" Blake almost whispered in response.

The blush was ever present on Ruby's face… and yet she found the will to continue.

"I really liked you, Blake. And even after we all went our separate ways, I still kept thinking about you. Every night we camped on our way to Haven, I was always wondering where you were and hoping you were okay… hoping that I could see you again and have a better start. That something could happen between us. Thinking about you was one of the few things that kept me going."

For a moment, the faunus was at a loss for words. But she tried to regain her footing; her leader had just admitted something so personal that… finding nothing to say would be so disrespectful.

"Ruby…" She began piecing together her response. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea I… meant that much to you."

"Well…" the redhead lowered her head one more time. "... now you do."

Blake took a deep sigh of her own.

"You know… things are strange right now… and they're only going to get stranger and more dangerous." She started bluntly. "But, in the future… when all that danger goes away, I think there will be a lot of people looking to dance."

The redhead peered up from below her brow, and Blake pressed on.

"And when we get through this… I may be looking." A smile grew on the faunus's face. "So I hope you will be too."

Ruby's eyes opened up more than Blake had ever seen before. She gave Ruby a moment to ponder an answer.

"I…" She began, stressing over her words before taking a long look at Blake.

The faunus thought Ruby was looking into her eyes, but her keen eyes noted she was looking at her smile. Perhaps to see if it was genuine? Blake attempted to beam brighter; she wanted the message to be clear.

"I'll be there." Ruby finally managed to promise.

Blake wished she could scrutinize Ruby's features to see if she was telling the truth, but she could tell which Ruby she was talking to… her Ruby… and that was all Blake ever needed.

"I know you will." She assured her back.

Blake left shortly after that exchange, off to do the rest of her check-up rounds. But she found a slight pep to her step that hadn't been there previously. It wasn't obvious (or at least she hoped it wasn't), but it was certainly welcome.

The future was a while away, but she knew where she was going. And that, among all the chaos, was a comfort she would happily pursue.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to everyone who read the story... and this blurb as well! If you want to see more Ladybug stories (considering how hard they are to come by), I have one other story at the time I'm writing this, How to Care for a Rose, which is a longer one-shot that I'm also very happy with. Otherwise, hope you enjoyed and want to see what I do next. Adios!


End file.
